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Man in custody after domestic incident at Oltman Middle School

St. Paul police have a man in custody following a domestic incident Oct. 5 at Oltman Middle School in Cottage Grove.

According to a statement, Cottage Grove Police were notified at 8:52 a.m. by the school resource officer of a distraught woman who said she had been held against her will and assaulted by her domestic partner. The woman and man were dropping off a student at Oltman and the woman used it as an opportunity to escape from her partner and to seek help from the school resource officer.

Cottage Grove Police responded and established control of the situation. Further investigation revealed that the alleged domestic assault occurred in St. Paul. Officers from the St. Paul Police Department were contacted and assumed custody of the suspect.

The Cottage Grove Fire Department also responded after it was discovered that the suspect's vehicle was leaking fuel in the school parking lot.

Police maintained contact with school officials throughout the incident, according to the statement.

In a statement, Shelly Schafer, director of communications for South Washington County Schools, said, “This was not a school related incident, but we are grateful for the partnership we have with our local law enforcement to ensure the safety of our students and our community.”

Oltman was never put on lockdown, she said.

Schafer also said that Oltman Middle School Principal Joni Hagebock sent out a message to parents to assure them that the police presence was not school-related and that all students were safe.

The case is an active investigation being conducted by the St. Paul Police Department.

William Loeffler is a playwright and journalist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked 15 years writing features for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He has also written travel stories based on his trips to all seven continents. He and his wife, Michelle, ran the Boston Marathon in 2009.